If someone you know is being bullied

Bullying usually involves one or more people teasing, being violent towards, or harassing somebody on an ongoing basis.

Is someone you know being bullied?

Bullying may be difficult to see as it may happen when the person is alone. People experiencing bullying may be scared to tell anyone or feel ashamed about being bullied so they may try to hide what is going on.

Some indications that someone is being bullied are:

lack of motivation

vagueness (especially around certain topics)

unusual behaviour

seeing the person being hassled

physical injuries.

Take care that you don’t immediately assume that the problem is bullying. These signs may be visible for a whole range of reasons, not only because they are being bullied. Someone may show these signs because of the person they are, or they may be dealing with other issues in their life.

What to do if you think someone is being bullied

Talk to them

It is a good idea to talk to the person you think is being bullied to find out what is going on with them. Try to remember that the person you are talking with may be very sensitive about the situation and may be scared.

Let them know you care

Help them feel good about themselves. If a person is being bullied their confidence may be low and they may feel lonely. It helps to let them know that you are a friend and care about them.

It can often help to point out all the great things they have to offer to help them to feel good about themselves.

Include the person in your group

Making a special effort to include the person into your group may help increase the person’s confidence.

Stick up for them

If you see someone is being bullied it may be helpful to stick up for them. Take care to ensure that in trying to stick up for the person being bullied that you don’t make the situation worse or put yourself in danger.

Speak to someone

Letting someone else know about the situation may help you to solve the problem. A teacher, counsellor, or another adult could be helpful people to talk to.

It may also be helpful to involve the person experiencing the bullying in this process. Together you can go and talk to someone about the situation.